Update of the Consumer Price Index Manual

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Since the publication of the 2004 Consumer Price Index (CPI) Manual, methods and best practices have continued to evolve.
During the 2014 UNECE-ILO CPI Experts Meeting, countries expressed a need for the CPI Manual to better reflect current best practices and to include more practical compilation advice.
The Intersecretariat Working Group on Price Statistics (IWGPS) endorsed and supported updating the CPI Manual, with the IMF as lead agency. IWGPS members include Eurostat, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the World Bank.
A Technical Expert Group for the update of the CPI Manual (TEG-CPI) was constituted with international price index experts and compilers from national statistical offices to provide drafting and review support.
The update was a culmination of six years’ work and was intended to provide more practical compilation advice rather than to introduce fundamental or comprehensive changes.
The Manual was endorsed by the 51st Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission as an official statistical standard on March 4, 2020.

Provide clearer and more prescriptive recommendations and guidelines where warranted by research, methodological development, and practical experience.
Take into account experiences gained on the applicability and usefulness of the 2004 Manual.
Incorporate relevant developments in methods and practices as well as theory and research over the last decade.
Update material on data sources, data collection methods and related calculation methods to reflect developments since 2004.
Reflect recent developments in user needs.
Harmonize CPI concepts in line with the 2008 SNA.

Draft chapters were posted for comment through the end of July 2018; comments from several national statistical offices and other organizations were incorporated.
During September – October 2019, the updated Manual was presented for global consultation with relevant national statistical authorities; detailed feedback was received from nearly 60 countries.
The IWGPS is responsible for overall management and final approval of the updated Manual, to be presented for consultation of relevant national statistical authorities and endorsement by the United Nations Statistical Commission.
The CPI Manual targets compilers and users in both developed and developing countries and serves as both practical guidance for compilers and a resource for users of CPI data.

The update split the Manual into two publications:
- Consumer Price Index Manual: Concepts and Methods — focuses on CPI compilation methods.
- Consumer Price Index Manual: Theory — focuses on the conceptual and theoretical foundations driving CPI compilation methods and practices.
One of the key changes reflected in the Theory publication includes:
- Treatment of scanner data in the calculation of elementary aggregates.
- Quality adjustment methods to deal with scanner data.
The Theory publication is posted in electronic format only and will be updated as needed.

The IWGPS plans to produce Guidance Notes to update, augment, and supplement individual chapters of the Manual as needed.
Draft Guidance Notes will be posted for review and comment by compilers and users of CPI data for a period of one month.
Availability of a Guidance Note for review and comment will be announced on the Compilers Hub.
Example: Guidance Note Chapter 10 (draft) — Please provide comments by Friday, August 7, 2026.
Final Guidance Notes will be posted after review.

The Theory publication will be translated into Arabic, French, Russian, and Spanish; translated versions will be posted when completed.
During the 30th Anniversary of the Ottawa Group, held in Ottawa, Canada, in May 2024, Erwin Diewert presented a comprehensive overview of the development of CPI theory and practice over the last 30 years; his presentation and supporting paper conclude with a discussion of outstanding problems and possible future developments and are posted as supplemental materials to the Theory Publication.